My Predator or my Protector?
by just-taye
Summary: Betrayal. That was the thing that happened between Bonnie and Jeremy's relationship. Worse, Elena took his side and Damon tricked her for his selfishness. It's now months after, and Bonnie is trying to set things right by telling everyone the truth. Bn/Dm
1. Life Sucks when Drama Strikes

**My Predator or my Protector**

_A Vampire Diaries Fanfic_

Life Sucks when Drama Strikes

_Dear Composition Book,_

_Hey. So…I have no idea why I'm doing this. One day, I was lying on the couch at home, watching sappy movies while stuffing my face with cookie dough ice cream. The next day, I'm in Office Depot, buying this "earth-friendly" composition book. This one is cool, though; it has earthy colors on the front and back, and the paper is recycled and baby blue and the lines are brown. Plus, I'm writing with my lucky, copper gel pen that I also use to write spells with. If I'm going to be writing for now on, better do it with a bang, right? Whatever—I wasn't the one who set me up to do this. My best friend, Elena, did._

_Elena said writing in a diary is meant to keep memories forever—that memories are worth remembered, no matter what they are. Recently, I've wanted to have__** AMNESIA**__ from everything that has been going on. Keeping __**those**__ memories isn't exactly what I had in mind. Elena said writing down your thoughts also relieves stress. I hope that works, because I've been having tons of stress lately. And who are the people causing it?_

_Damon, Elena, and Jeremy. Especially Jeremy._

_With Jeremy, it's been hard. Our relationship ended…four months ago? No, it's been five months. And a couple of weeks. He cheated on me with Anna. Why? Jeremy moved on. Once he saw Anna, he resumed to being in love with her. Him and Anna's relationship is going to be better than it was before she died. I hope it does, because I'm happy for them. To be honest, I think it was me who drove him away—me and my creepy, freaky, witch stuff. But, during me and Jeremy's relationship, it was horrible. Great at first, but after a while, it turned downhill. He became…insane. In other words, he went back to being a stoner. He just…went back to drugs like it was a video game he used to play. It was disappointing, but I said nothing of it. Elena did, however, and it angered him so much that he thought everyone was on his case about it, and he began to have anger problems._

_It started with the disagreements. When he wanted to do something I disagreed to it, he would just explode and make all these accusations at me. I didn't do anything wrong! I only told him I didn't want to do it and the reasons why. He wouldn't listen. He kept it up until we began to fight. When we first fought, it was just arguing and insults under our breaths. Then it became more detailed arguments and insults shot at each other, along with some moving of chairs, hitting our fists against tables and counters and our voices louder. The arguments either ended with him walking out, me walking out, or us hugging, apologizing to each other. Our last argument, despite how easy I forgave people, was the _last_._

_Jeremy cracked. He hit me. He punched me, and then shoved me into the wall. I forgot what we were arguing about, probably something stupid, but I can never forget that night. He traumatized me, and I ran out of Elena's house to mine before he could hurt me anymore. I stayed inside my house for weeks._

_I never told Elena what really happened. She would've confronted her brother and he would have hurt her. Then I would never forgive myself. Later on, I wished I had told her, because when Elena told me Jeremy was cheating on me, she wasn't happy at all. In fact, she took his side. He was her brother; she had to. She actually blamed me for it. Elena said, "If you were actually being a supportive girlfriend for my brother, then he wouldn't have cheated on you in the first place." Supportive? How could I have been supportive if he kept yelling and abusing me every time we were together? But I couldn't tell her that, so I didn't answer. So she kept going, believing she was on a roll. "You know, Stefan and I…" That was when I cracked._

"_What about you and Stefan? That you two are the most perfect human/vampire couple since Twilight's Edward and Bella? That, if I was like you, then Jeremy wouldn't had cheated on me? Well, you know what? Screw it. Jeremy is not Stefan and I am not you. I will never be you, the perfect girl whose parents died in a car accident; who has a boyfriend; who has someone else loving you; who everything revolves around of. Jeremy isn't a vampire who has a brother fighting for his girlfriend, just because she looks exactly like their old love. Nope, I am nothing like you. And I am nothing compared to you! That's how life outside of your conceited head works around here."_

_I remember those words—how they hurt Elena, how they made a thick silence in the Gilberts residence, how they lingered as I stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind me. I will never forget that day. The last day Elena and I, best friends, talked to each other._

_I feel guilty for saying those words now. I feel guilty for yelling at Elena. She didn't do anything to deserve it. Well, she did deserve it, kind of. It's also half my fault. If I hadn't told her about Jeremy and his recent doings, then Elena wouldn't have blamed me for him cheating on me with Anna. I feel terrible—karma's creeping up on me. That's when I wonder how Elena felt back then. Probably P.O.-ed or shocked—I could tell she was shocked, due to the way her jaw almost fell off when I snapped at her—but she was upset with me then. She cared for her brother, I could understand that. Then again, I hadn't really spoke to her while I was with Jeremy, and he surely did not talk about Elena or, well, anyone a part of his family. If only had told her the whole story, things would have been different. About a month ago, Alaric held me after class, asking me how our friendship was. I told him that we weren't on speaking terms at all. He smiled, placed a hand on my shoulder, and guaranteed that Elena and I will go back to being friends again. Since then, I've been hoping for it. _

_Now, Damon. He's…he's a jerk. All he wants is either girls or blood. Is he still obsessed with the Elena/Katherine drama? Don't know. Don't care. However, despite hating his dead body, I do care for him—he's sort of my friend. I haven't talk to him in a while…two months, actually. Maybe I'll talk to him today. ~_

Bonnie Bennett pressed her lips into a thin line as she closed her notebook. Damon Salvatore. The vampire's name almost sounded foreign to her. _Man, was it really that long since I've talked to him? _Actually, it was. Two months. Last time they talked to each other was when he was _still_ trying to convince her into making up with Elena, even though he was also siding with Jeremy when he did. He didn't want Baby Gilbert to be happy again, he wanted everything to go back to normal between the best friends, and have the world back on its regular orbit. Then, when Damon was trying to convince Bonnie into making up, Bonnie didn't want to talk about the "best friend" issue. That was the _last_ thing she wanted to talk about.

Surprisingly, she thought Damon made her have dinner with him at _The Mystic Grill_ to…just talk; to have a normal conversation about life. Of course, he chose that way to attempt to convince her into making up. No way was she doing that—it wasn't her doing. Elena was the one who was taking her abusive, bi-polar brother's side over her best friend's.

Bonnie smiled. _At least Caroline understands._

If Bonnie was asked, between Elena and Caroline, who was more of a best friend to her now, she would've answered Caroline. The blonde knew everything from Jeremy's unusual acts to Elena taking Jeremy's side to Damon setting up a "fake date" with Bonnie, as she called. She listened to the witch tell her problems, and told her that it was "totally Jeremy's fault" and that Elena had no right to be saying what she said to Bonnie. But Caroline also said it was partially Bonnie's own fault that she hadn't told Elena about Jeremy's actions. Bonnie knew that, of course, and didn't deny it.

"So what should I do?" Bonnie asked, twiddling her thumbs in shame.

Caroline placed her hands on top of the brunette's, calming her down. "What you _should have_ done three months ago. Go do it. Tomorrow." But she never did.

The task hung over her for a month, and now the witch was going to do it, starting by heading over to the Gilberts residence.

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><p>Checking her distorted reflection from the rinsed-but-dirty ceramic plate in her hand, Elena Gilbert placed dishes in the dishwasher, too lazy to wash them herself. Being in her cream-colored tile kitchen, the brunette felt at ease—no Alaric in the home to annoy her; no drama with Stefan and their relationship; no trouble with grades, as long as Alaric was concerned. Everything was halcyon; even Jeremy wasn't stirring up trouble like he used to. To her, Jeremy seemed to have become a completely different person since his relationship with Anna began.<p>

The thought of Jeremy's love life somehow switched her thoughts to Bonnie, her best friend who had not enunciated with her in five months, and how the witch's life was going. She had almost forgotten about the last thing Bonnie said—or rather yelled at her in the room Elena stood, hastily placing the plate in the dishwasher before she could drop it from being lost in her thoughts.

_Bonnie._ Her friend came up in her mind as sweet, innocent; like she was when they first were friends, doing everything together before Caroline was in the picture. They told secrets to each other, had sleepovers, and went to the mall or the library with each other. Nothing could ever split them apart. Except Bonnie's poor relationship with Jeremy.

Yes, Elena still assumed it was Bonnie's fault for everything that had taken place. Jeremy did nothing wrong, in her perspective. She was clueless about him hitting the witch, arguing with her, or pushing her away from him. The dumb brunette didn't even realize he was back on drugs. To her eyes, the little brother was seen as a gleeful, trouble-free young man reunited with his angelic girlfriend. Elena, like everyone else, was happy for the couple, but sometimes wished that it was Bonnie making her brother happy instead of Anna.

"Jeremy may have moved on, but there had to be more behind them being together." Elena thought out loud, a hand on her hip. She furrowed her eyebrows. "Why wasn't I thinking about the situation months ago?" _Because I thought I knew who was innocent and who was guilty. I know Bonnie—she wouldn't break Jeremy's heart without a reason. Same thing goes for Jeremy. _

The detective then remembered how Bonnie would talk about Jeremy and what he did for her—took her out to lunch, bought her gifts, comforted her when things were bad between the Bennett family. She remembered how long the witch had told her stories about them.

She also remembered when Bonnie stopped talking about her and Jeremy, then Jeremy all together. The witch didn't talk on the subject to the point she avoided it, pleading her best friend not to bring Jeremy up again.

"_Please," Bonnie sighed, lifting her head up from her grimoire. "Could we not talk about him? Or our relationship?" They were in Bennett's bedroom, studying for a quiz they had the next day. It had been a week since the girl had spoken of her boyfriend, and it had concerned Elena to the very slightest._

_Elena blinked. "O…kay?" She put her history textbook aside. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to talk about it, that's all."_

_The witch snapped; a candle lit a few feet away from where she laid. "Well, I don't; I don't want anything to do with him right now." That sentence struck Elena, suspicion whelming her._

"_Why is that? You guys were practically made for each other, based on your 'love stories' you told me." _What was going on between them?

_Bonnie closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Nothing. Just…forget about it."_

_Elena frowned. "But I'm concerned-"_

"_Can we focus on studying? I really need to understand the fifth section, if you don't have a problem with it." Bonnie grabbed her textbook and flipped through the many pages, glancing up at her best friend for a conformation._

_The brunette didn't press on, though she needed to. "Alright; let's go over that." The black witch grinned as she looked for the right page, Elena eyeing her with grave suspicion-_

_**Knock.**_

"Hm?" Elena was disconnected from her thoughts as she snapped her attention to the front door. "Who is it?" she asked, bending down and slamming the dishwasher close, a soft _click_ following to notify her that the machine was secure. She tossed the dishcloth in the left sink; dirty dishes stacked in the right. Elena dried her hands on her jeans as she waited for an answer.

"It's Bonnie."


	2. Beginning of Reunited Friendships Pt 1

**_Wow. I had NO idea I was going to get this many reviews! Thanks so much to all that had read and/or reviewed the first chapter. I'm sorry for not being so active - school, family, etc. . . . But it's all good now! (I think.)_**

**_Here is the second chapter!_**

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><p><strong>My Predator or my Protector<strong>

_A Vampire Diaries Fanfic_

The Beginning of Reunited Friendships – Part 1

"It's Bonnie."

Elena froze. _What is _she_ doing here at this time of night?_

Soon, all signs of hatred and a shattered friendship were shown on her face. How come Bonnie chose _now_ to visit? Was she there to apologize? Or was she there just to yell at her again? The words the witch spat months ago roamed in her ears, stinging her eyes to the point they were moist. Those words had hurt her; betrayed her to the very core. Since then, the teen was still shocked at the witch's words, knowing that they were somewhat the truth. Wiping her chocolate eyes, Elena walked to the front door and swung it open.

"Hello." Bonnie smiled, before quickly dropping it and staring at her dark brown boots. Elena folded her arms. Bonnie looked like a sad puppy with its tail between its legs, ashamed for what it had done. She almost felt guilty for not even trying to talk to her for the past five months, but she believed it was the witch's fault to begin with. She couldn't show any sign of compunction to her. She would not become weak for her best friend.

Refolding her arms, Elena stuck her chin up. "What do you want?"

Bonnie winced mutely. _Gee, harsh much? I just want everything to go back to normal._

"No." she sighed, hugging herself to preserve the heat inside her coat from escaping with the wind striking the right side of her body. "Can I come in? Please?"

Elena gnawed on the inside of her cheek, contemplating the question. She really, _really_ wanted to let her best friend inside and mend their friendship; however, at the same time, Elena wanted Bonnie to _banish_—to leave and never come back, just like she did before. Her two answers fought in her head, needing a decision on what she would choose. Fighting the gradually increasing headache, the brunette sighed, dropping her hands to her sides.

She smiled. "Well, you're not a vampire." The two young women laughed, slightly awkwardly, and a flash of their past lit between them.

It was something the both of them wanted: Being friends again. Ever since the "fight", Bonnie and Caroline remained and strengthened their friendship between them, while Elena didn't have any other best friend to talk to. To fill the hole, she spent more time with Stefan, hung out with Matt occasionally at _The_ _Mystic Grill_, and was so lonely that she even attempted to butt in with Jeremy and Anna. Of course her brother disliked that, so he persuaded his girlfriend to hook Elena up. Anna obliged, and she made the lonely girl go on a blind date—that date turned out to be Tyler, _as well_ as a disaster.

After a short while, Elena's comment rung in her head, and she cut her laugh short. Bonnie noticed this, and she stopped laughing, too, wondering what the problem was. "What?" the witch asked blankly, blinking at the human.

Elena stared back. "You're not a vampire…are you?"

Bonnie's eyebrows flew up; surprised that Elena would even ask her. Elena could tell, and she backtracked. "I – I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It's just that I haven't spoken to you in months and – and who _knows_ what Damon's done or what he's up to, and…" she trailed off, her tongue becoming tied.

Bonnie snorted. "Elena, there is no way on this _planet_ that I would become a vampire. It's never going to happen. I haven't even seen, nor talked to Damon since that one night at the Grill." She shrugged, but knew that somewhere—at some part in her reply—that she shouldn't had told Elena; but she didn't know which part.

Elena, however, did. "You and Damon? At the Grill? At night?" Bonnie rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She did _not_ want to talk about that. She never did. "Why? Were you two…you know…"

The witch had to use all of her might to restrain herself from throwing Elena across the room. Instead she walked past her and entered the Gilberts' residence. "Nope. Never have. Never will." She scoffed, walking to the kitchen and leaning against the island. "He tricked me into a date with him so I could apologize to you." Elena closed the door behind them and followed her into the kitchen.

She folded her arms. "I guess it worked, huh?"

"That happened two months ago." Bonnie rolled her eyes again, still not believing that the womanizing vampire would do something so…so _desperate._ It infuriated her. At the time, she was to the point where she could move on without being reminded of Elena or Jeremy.

When Damon asked her if she wanted to go out for dinner, she was shocked. First off, he _asked_ her if she wanted to go to dinner with him. He _asked_. The demanding, womanizing, "Cool guy" vampire _asked_ Bonnie Bennett, to do something in general. It amazed her. She never thought he could be so nice…

But it was too good to be true—Damon and his sugarcoated words; the amazing food and drinks; the live music playing; the conversations; the tears of laughter—everything from that night—all for Elena. Only so Elena could have everything back to normal so she could be content again. He would do _anything_ to win her heart from his brother Stefan.

_Damon will never change,_ Bonnie thought icily, moving her foot around in boredom.

Meanwhile, Elena was recovering from a blow to the stomach. _Two months? _She thought, exasperated. How could Bonnie wait that long to apologize? Was she really that upset? Did Elena's choosing of Jeremy's side cause the witch to hate her to the point she didn't want anything to do with her? Elena, with an uneasy expression on her face, asked herself one question: _Was bringing back her and Bonnie's friendship worth it?_

Of course it was—she was her _best friend_. Losing Bonnie was more painful than watching Jeremy make poor mistakes. Not like Elena had _seen_ him make mistakes recently, but referring to a year before everything happened… Yeah. Losing Bonnie was, by far, more vital.

Looking out the kitchen window to see her reflection and Bonnie at the same spot, Elena forced her lips to a tinny line. "So, um…what made you decide _now_ to talk to me?"

"Culpability." the witch responded, staring at nothing unparticular. Elena's eyebrow sank at the direct answer. "The problem was left alone for too long. I need to resolve it."

"You could've done this months ago."

"Yes, but how could I have? How could I have put an end to this problem back then? I was hurt and ashamed. I couldn't bear to see you or Jeremy without going into an uncontrollable mishap with my magic. It was hard—I just needed some time to think."

"And how did you think _I_ felt during the whole thing? You think I was glad that you broke up with Jeremy, or when he told me that he was going out with Anna right after? I wasn't! I was upset; disappointed. But at the same time, I was angry—angry because it was your fault."

Bonnie placed her hand on her necklace, emphasizing her words to Elena. "That's why I'm over here. It wasn't entirely my fault! For one, I would have never broken up with Jeremy without a good reason to. And I have it."

Elena unfolded her arms, flabbergasted. _Why didn't she start off with that? _She mentally rolled her eyes. "Then what was it?" The girls stopped talking altogether when they heard a door open, trailed by footsteps and laughter. Bonnie mouthed to Elena, "Who's that?" The brunette didn't answer, avoiding eye contact with the witch. Bonnie glowered, waiting in silence for whoever's upstairs to leave.

"Okay. I have to admit, that movie was _pretty_ good," a female voice commented, descending from upstairs. Bonnie recognized who the voice belonged to: Anna's. _Alright, it's just her. No big deal. As long as I don't run into—_

"I told you it's better than a chick flick. Thriller movies are amazing, just like…" Speeding down the stairs and jogging into the kitchen for a snack, Jeremy halted in his tracks once he saw Elena; his eyes slightly grew when he noticed Bonnie a few feet away. Looking back-and-forth between the two, he exhaled. "Hey."

"Hey," Elena waved a little, feeling the awkward silence coming.

Jeremy smiled a bit, and then glanced at the witch. "Hey, Bonnie."

"Hey," Bonnie greeted back quietly, her voice filled with somewhat happiness.

The uneasy silence known to come arrived—a long, unbearable silence etching its way throughout the house. Bonnie stared at her boots, not daring to say a word. Elena tapped her nails to an imaginary beat on the countertop, observing her little brother with a bored "I-can't-take-this-any-longer" look on her face. Jeremy simply exchanged her look, sliding his hands into his pockets and waiting anxiously for the time to go by, occasionally taking quick glances toward Bonnie. The three waited until someone, _anyone_ was brave enough to break the silence and speak. Unfortunately, none of the three did.

Anna, however, walked in the room, a soft smile on her perfect little face, and broke the silence for them. "Why did it get so quiet?" She stood beside Jeremy and he wrapped an arm around her waist, she resting her head on his chest. Bonnie twitched, the action being small and unnoticeable, and she adjusted the strap of her bag. "Hi, Elena! Thank you so much for letting Jeremy and I watch _Final Destination 5_. It was great."

Elena folded her arms, rehydrating her lips. "You're welcome. Thank Jeremy for stealing it from my room." Jeremy shrugged; a humiliated smirk on his face.

Another minute of silence lapsed and Anna looked around, her dark eyes widening at the sight of Bonnie. "Bonnie! It's been months since I've seen you!"

"Months." Bonnie nodded, smiling. Elena shot her a look; Bonnie returned it, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Jeremy giving her the same one, but did nothing.

Anna, oblivious of the 3-way mental conversation, sustained talking. "Bon, it has been _such_ _a_ _long_ _time_ since I've seen you. How's it going?"

Bonnie sucked in air. Why was Anna doing this? Being nice to her; trying to be her friend. They were friends, but after everything happened, Bonnie avoided her. The witch was impacted by the breakup like a normal teenage girl would have been, but she wasn't going to go right back to being "buddy-buddy" with the girl who's with her ex. It was better for the both of them—Anna and Jeremy didn't have to deal with the discomfort of Bonnie in their presence, and Bonnie didn't have to hurt anyone at the equivalent time.

Smiling, Bonnie exhaled. "I've had better days. How about you?"

"It's been amazing. Ever since Jeremy and I got back together, life's been…cloud nine. Could I say anything that's not corny?" Anna giggled, hugging Jeremy.

He kissed her forehead, and it made Bonnie highly uncomfortable. After months of hiding, healing, and calming down, the witch thought seeing Jeremy, Elena, or Anna again wouldn't be so tough. She was wrong. It _was_ tough—harder than she had thought and planned.

Closing her eyes, Bonnie tried to relax; tried her best not to become so emotional in front of everyone. It worked, but when she opened her glistening eyes, she noticed a candle on the dining room table was lit.

_I need to get out of here._ "I…I need to go." Buttoning her coat, Bonnie weaved her way past Elena, around the couple, and to the front door. She could hear Jeremy's loud sigh and Anna murmurs, but ignored them.

Unlocking the door, Elena was right behind her. "Bonnie," she called, placing her hand on the witch's shoulder. "Bonnie, I'm sorry. If I had known you were even going to show up-"

"It's not your fault. Just came at a bad time." Bonnie shrugged, trying not to show how she was really feeling. "I was actually going to head over to Car's place for the night. We're going to watch some sappy movie and stuff our faces with ice cream and gummy bears." She rolled her eyes, laughing at herself for the brilliant half-lie she told. Yes, she was going to go over Caroline's house to watch a movie and stuff themselves with sweets, but first she needed to _tell_ Caroline if she could stay the night first.

Smiling, Bonnie ended her fib. "It was Caroline's treat."

"Oh," Elena said, combing her fingers through her hair. _So, all this time she was hanging out with Caroline. What happened to the trio? _"Since you're doing something tonight, you think we could go somewhere tomorrow or Sunday? We could talk some more."

Bonnie acquiesced. "Sure. That would be fine. We could head out to the Grill or something, your pick." She twisted the knob and opened the door.

"Cool. I'll text you the details once I've figured them out."

"Cool. See you then." With that Bonnie walked out of the Gilberts' Residence, shutting the door behind her. Making haste, she made her way off the porch, to the side of the street, and into the driver's seat of her car.

She breathed. _Well, that was easy._ So, for the day, Bonnie and Elena had become almost best friends again. All they needed to do was to go someplace and talk. What _Bonnie_ needed to do was explain to Elena what really happened during her and Jeremy's relationship that caused her to breakup with the suddenly abusive, problematic drug addict in the first place. _It will hurt her devastatingly, but it's the veracity. And I've been hiding it from everyone for too long. _With her mind preoccupied, Bonnie placed her key into the ignition, turned her car on, and drove off to Caroline's house, fortuitously making a wrong turn into the misty night.


	3. Beginning of Reunited Friendships Pt 2

**_Hi, my apologies! I had a minor writer's block, but now I'm alright! I have a lot planned for this story, and don't worry, Caroline's going to appear in the next chapter. I guarantee it!_**

**_ Oh, um, yeah. I do not own anything but the idea for this story. Enjoy! :)_**

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><p>The Beginning of Reunited Friendships – Part 2<p>

For a man who could hold his drink, Damon Salvatore was amazing at it. Despite being a vampire, he still had those small human qualities that were useful when he had too much going on.

Or when he just wanted to drink.

His mind was all over the place—cooking, cleaning, watching a movie, drinking, and, as usual, feasting on a bag of blood whenever he could. With Stefan out retrieving Damon's groceries from the local hospital, Damon could do whatever he wanted while the unemotional teenager was gone. It was a regular Friday night for him, doing whatever he could before he went to the woods during the weekends to hunt. But, lately, things had been unusual for him. For example, for the past seven months, the vampire had been a hermit—or at least anti-social. He hadn't spoken to Stefan; hadn't fought any werewolves recently. He hadn't even attempted to go over Elena's house to win her over—in a _month_.

_What is wrong with me?_

He didn't know; he could never figure out why. It bothered him for a while now, and the only thing that could drive him away from the problem was hunting people for blood. But the question kept occurring, so much that he eventually refused to take another's blood for the sake of a silly problem. It was almost like him trying to do anything he could to make Elena his, stooping so low to convincing Bonnie to apologize to her.

"Bennett," Damon muttered, his mind not recognizing the name like it could before. Her last name gave him chills—he had fought her ancestors from killing him and Stefan. Those commemorations, however, should never be brought back from the depths of his brain. He still had pain from the table that was thrown at his back by Bonnie's great-great-great-great uncle Charles.

Cursing the now lifeless wizard who protruded his mind, Damon treaded to the wine rack. Muttering words, he snatched the first bottle he could get his cold fingers on and tore off the irritable cork. Red wine splashed out and dripped down his hand, but he paid no mind, putting the glass to his lips and tilting the aged juice aloft. After insufficient quaffs, the man placed the bottle of wine on the coffee table and paced around, his left hand on his nine o'clock shadow.

"I wonder how the wicked witch is doing being a loner," he thought aloud. He chuckled. "Must be pretty darn tough having only Caroline to talk to for months. I wouldn't think anyone could handle that." He stopped walking, his drunken insanity working the gears inside his head.

"Wait, Bonnie's strong; she can and _did_ handle it," Damon grinned, reminding himself that Bonnie dumped Jeremy—not the other way around. "She's a smart girl…just like Elena."

Elena; he still loved her. He still wanted to immaturely shove vervain down his younger brother's throat for getting to her first. Observing the two being in each other's presences made the vampire…depressed. He couldn't bare it—he _needed_ to have Elena. Stefan won't let him near the girl as long as he lived. It wasn't fair to Damon; he believed he deserved something good for once. He thought he deserved better than Katherine's betrayal.

Groaning, he went back and guzzled down more of the wine, swallowing his troubles away for the moment. It was Friday, for God's sake—relaxing on the couch and watching pointless late night television shows were Damon's main priorities, and nothing could screw that up for him. Taking in another enormous swig of alcohol, he waltzed over and plopped onto his soft, Victorian settee. He then scrutinized the flat screen that was in front of him, eyeing in confusion at the so-called "comedy" in the show that was currently on. _The hell? They ripped that off from the fifth season of Saturday Night Live and some damned cop show from the forties._

_**Knock**_

"What," Damon replied, turning his head at the direction of the front door. Had Stefan returned from shopping? No; he usually stops by Elena's and ends up spending the rest of the weekend there. If he's not here, who was?

Forcing himself off the sinking couch, Damon stretched as he strolled to the door. Unlocking the door, he didn't even bother asking who it was. He never had that kind of problem since he's been a part of the world. If it ever happens in the future, he could easily take the intruder's blood or beat him until he became cataleptic.

Swinging the door open, the Salvatore was taken aback at who was staring back at him, but his poker face persisted. _What is she doing here? She's ruining my Friday night._

Right before his gray eyes was the one-and-only Bonnie Bennett, her brown eyes wide in awareness.

Lowering his thick, dark eyebrows, Damon breathed, "He—"

"I'm an idiot," Bonnie blurted, groaning and glancing back at her car. Damon raised one brow. She shook her head, incredulous with what was going on. "I am such…a freaking…idiot."

_Is this the witch genius Bonnie calling herself an idiot? Where's my camera when I need it… _The vampire managed to feign concern as he asked, "Really? How so?" Bonnie looked down at the ground, thinking about what happened.

"I was going to Caroline's. On the way I must have took a wrong turn," She glanced at Damon, barely missing the glint of amusement in his eyes. "And ended up here." She frowned. His muscles tightened into a sly smirk.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" He leaned down so their noses brushed. Bonnie froze. His smile grew. "To see me?" The enquiry was answered with a slap to the face. Surprisingly, it was light – lighter than her usual ones. That made Damon sober a tiny bit. "My, I think I've grown on the Wicked Witch of the Mystic Falls."

"We haven't seen each other for, what, two months? How could you have grown on me?" Bonnie rolled her eyes. Abruptly, she stopped, looking up to the sky and frowning again.

Damon's smirk dropped, a frown replacing it. "What's your problem?"

"It's about to rain. They showed a thunderstorm warning on the news today, too." A snort that emitted from Damon made her flick her attention toward him.

"Huh, the meteorologists were right for once." He sent her a small smile, and Bonnie had to bite her lip so she couldn't smile back. He tricked her, just to try to make Elena happy and his, and he's just going to go back being a flirtatious rogue?

_Ha, no. Bennett doesn't give in easily._

Slightly narrowing her eyes, Bonnie raised a brow, indicating that she was annoyed. The freeloader caught on quickly.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop." Damon frowned at the victorious expression on her face. He was just trying to lighten the uncomfortable mood of it all. It had been a while since they last seen each other, and that ended on a bad note. _How can I lighten her up?_ Just then, he grinned, an idea hovering about in his head. "Hey," He moved out of the doorway and extended his arm, exposing the inside of his shared home. "Why don't you come in?"

Bonnie flinched. Come in? How could she come in? _By saying yes and walking through the door._ But why would she? Didn't he deceive her last time they conversed? Wasn't he the one who plastered a false sincere smile on his face, insisting that she should try the new drink from the Mystic Grill? Wasn't he the one who taught her how to dance openly that night? Did he not attempt to…. Wasn't he the one who played with her emotions? Seeking for an answer, the witch bit her lip.

"I'm not sure," Bonnie breathed. Damon's eyebrows slightly dropped. She immediately looked away, afraid she had disappointed him. "I don't know. I mean, I really should be going to Caroline's…" The falsification wasn't worth sticking or explaining to the vampire if he was superior at it, making her drop in setback. What could she do? Sighing, she didn't move whatsoever when Damon placed his hand on her shoulder.

He pressed his lips together, his face creasing a little. "Are you sure about that? The clouds are closing in fast. If you leave for Barbie's mansion now, you might get into an accident or something. And based on how dark the clouds look, the storm isn't going to be a short, small one. You'll get wiped off the highway and straight into the hospital if you even make a slight turn." Bonnie glared at him, his theories being unpleasant but highly expected.

Easing her angered look, she relaxed her eyes. "But I don't know, Damon." Flouting her response, he laid his hand on her back. That caused Bonnie to take in a bottomless breath, not used to being warm there since her ex-boyfriend last hugged her almost seven months ago.

"Come on." Damon led Bonnie into his home, and she didn't repel. "It's late. You'll go to Caroline's tomorrow." Letting her go ahead of him, Damon placed his hand on the meticulous door handle. Making sure no one was out there, he glanced around before going inside, swinging the door shut behind him.

* * *

><p>"Damon!" Bonnie gasped, jumping away from the immensely irritated vampire. She made sure she wouldn't slip and fall off the couch. "Stop that!"<p>

The dark haired man groaned, rubbing his hand down his wrinkle-forming face. His mind was, once again, all over the place. He was letting Bonnie stay the night so she wouldn't get into an accident if she had went over to Caroline's house whilst a heavy storm was there. The irony of the situation made him laugh. Five minutes before she had even shown up, he was thinking about her, wondering how she was lately. About fifteen minutes later, there she was, slap-happy on his sofa, getting all the wrong intentions. He sat on the opposite side of the furniture, watching the witch in—at first—amusement.

Now, it was in pure annoyance.

Damon gave her an expressionless look. "For the last time, and I mean it, _I am not trying to assault you_. How could you even think that?" Bonnie, who had slightly jumped from his words, returned his look with a glare.

"Because you're you. Not to mention you've already attacked me several times."

"I wasn't attacking you; I was trying to restrain you. You need to calm down."

The witch tilted her head. "No, _you_ need to calm down, Mr. Salvatore." Damon rolled his eyes, before going after her again.

This time, fortunately, she didn't run off; he taking her arms and holding them above her head. Having the advantage of being taller, Damon stood up and lugged Bonnie from the couch to the kitchen. Once they were there, he motioned her to a bar stood, and ordered her to sit. She obeyed and sat, finally silent. He sighed in relief—she giggled during the entire transport.

Turning his back to her, Damon reached for the refrigerator door and opened it. While looking for anything non-alcoholic, he muttered to himself. "Why in the world did I give you wine?"

Bonnie, of course, heard the theoretical question. "You said I needed to relax because I wanted to leave and go to Care's."

"Yeah, I know; I'm just wondering why I was so stupid to do it." Narrowing his eyes, he pulled out several bottles of the exact beverages Bonnie _didn't_ need. It seemed like an endless portal of wine and liquor. _Where am I going to land upon a freaking bottle of water in this thing?_

As if the world was in a state of irony and coincidence, his hand snatched a cold bottle of water out of the refrigerator. Smoothly, he tossed it to Bonnie, who unpredictably caught it with ease. Eyebrows risen, he closed the fridge door behind him and leaned against the countertop. "Drink that. When you're finished, it's bedtime for you."

Acting like Caroline, the African-American pouted, throwing in puppy-dog eyes and leaning forward. "Bedtime? But I don't want to go to sleep early…" she whined like a child.

Damon closed his eyes, trying not to fill his mind with crude thoughts. If this was any girl he had hooked up with in the club or somewhere, he would have already made the moves on her and they would've been on their way. But this was Bennett—if anything questionable happened between them, she would kill him in a heartbeat. And with her being drunk, it only made the situation, as well as the way he would be killed, worse.

Setting aside the problematic theories that could possibly transpire, the vampire frowned. "You're going to need the sleep. I only gave you two full glasses of wine and you became tipsy—that was within the first hour you've stayed here." He placed a hand to his chin as he eyed Blotto Bonnie with suspicion. Furrowing his brows, he could have sworn she was a much heavier drinker than she was showing.

He evoked, almost two and a half months ago when he plotted a false date with her, she downed almost ten or eleven beers and five martinis before he had to force her to stop drinking. She simply told him that she was ok, but once he held her wrist from getting another sip of an apple martini, she was through. The only thing that really dazed him was the fact that she wasn't wasted at all; only became easier and open to talk to and more exciting dance with.

Recalling the past, Damon's eyes cleared as if something dawned to him. Bonnie noticed this, and she sat up straight, wondering if she was doing something wrong. Biting her lip, she listened as the man asked. "Did you drink more than I had given you?"

With a small smile, Bonnie's eyes made their way to his. His intense gaze with his unreadable expression made her beyond confused. She averted her gaze and twiddled her thumbs, her voice small and quiet. "May-be?"

"I knew it." Damon, with a shove, moved away from the counter and paced around. _So, maybe she is wasted. But what if she's been faking it this whole time, and is playing with me? I'm not that stupid—I could never forget our night together._ Taking a glance at the witch, she was lightly kicking her feet to the beat of a song that was in her head. Observing her, he sighed. _Maybe she's sobered up by now. Stefan never has anything strong to drink, so the affects could have worn off a while ago._

"Damon?" His eyes flicked over to the yawning adolescent, he practically grunting in laughter.

"Yes?"

"Before I came here, I went by Elena's house." Bonnie's confession caused him to perk up in shock. He swiftly made his way around to where she was sitting and sat next to her.


End file.
